While you were out

Baby Teeth's Abraham Levitan on making glam-rock that's the soundtrack to running errands

July 29, 2009|By Matt Pais and Matt Pais is the metromix music and movies producer.

"It's not in the spirit of irony," says Baby Teeth frontman Abraham Levitan of the group's '70s-influenced glam-rock, which other bands might present as a joke. "It's in the spirit of making something that really kicks a lot of ass."

And kick ass it does on the new "Hustle Beach," which finds Levitan and Co. polishing its stadium rock-leaning brand of indie pop into direct, summery odes to young love and everyday challenges. The songs were drawn from Levitan's songwriting blog, "52 Teeth," on which he spent a year posting a new song each week.

From his place in Logan Square, Levitan, 31, told us why working is mandatory on "Hustle Beach" and why Billy Joel is a "hack."

How does "Hustle Beach" compare to Muscle Beach?

"Hustle Beach" is kind of the opposite of Muscle Beach because on Muscle Beach, you're just supposed to sit around and look good. And on "Hustle Beach" you're supposed to work your ass off and never take a break.

Seems like a beach that might not get a lot of customers. For what summer activities is the album the soundtrack?

A Saturday [when] you wake up and you say, "This is Saturday; I'm going to really relax," but you end up having a lot of small errands that involve driving for seven minutes at a time. First to the ATM, then to Walgreens, then to the grocery. By the end of it, you're so frustrated because you feel like your whole Saturday's gone down the drain. In those seven-minute increments in between your errands, you should have "Hustle Beach" playing in your car.

How would you describe your sound in five words or less?

Classic pop with fast parts.

Do you feel like the album, while still fun, is more restrained than previous material?

I think restraint is something that we needed as far as the arrangements go. I think, on some of our past albums, we've been stepping on our own toes as far as not letting a musical idea play out long enough so that it really takes hold. Kind of a sense of pulling the rug out on things. With this record we really tried to make it something that had a little bit more flow and something that you could drive to.

What's the most outrageous fan reaction you've had at a show?

We were playing the Empty Bottle about a year ago. There was this really tall, skinny guy in the front row who was just bouncing around like a maniac and yelling at [bassist Jim Cooper]. And Jim assumed that this guy was making fun of him. Instead of just being really excited that there was someone in the front room getting really excited about the band, Jim got very nervous, and the more that this guy kept jumping up and yelling, the more nervous Jim got, to the point where Jim actually took his bass and whacked the guy with it. And this guy, in the state of mind that he was in, it made him more psyched about the show.

He wasn't heckling?

No! And we were so embarrassed when we figured out what happened. We were so apologetic to this guy. I think the whole experience kinda made his night because he was already freaking so hard.

You didn't say, "Don't worry. We do that at every show"?

That would've been the cooler thing to do. But we were not that quick on our feet. It was like, "Oh, [bleep], we might've hurt that guy."

Your music owes a lot to the '70s. Who would you rather be, Springsteen or Bowie?

Ooh, that's a tough one. I think Bowie just because I wouldn't want to be expected to give a three-hour show every night. And also I have a small bladder, so I don't think that would work for me. I always wonder when Springsteen goes to the bathroom.

Ha. Elton John or Billy Joel?

No question: Elton John. Billy Joel is a hack. He's just a poor-man's Paul McCartney. Elton John, I would say, had a distinctive artistic personality, and I don't think Billy Joel has ever been more than a tribute band.

If he were alive, would you take Freddie Mercury over all of them?

Yeah, I'd say the highest highs if you're Freddie Mercury are pretty much untouchable. But I bet he had some bleak moments too.

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mpais@tribune.com

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Levitan's Chicago personality test

Best bar: Hungry Brain or Whistler (tie)

Best hot dog: Hot Doug's (a brat with all the "standard trimmings," sauerkraut, German mustard, pickle)

Best non-obvious date: Going out for some Italian ice and walking around

Fave local celebrity: Pat Hughes

Least favorite: Mayor Daley

Fave sports team: Cubs

Something random: "None of us has ever had a car that did not look like [bleep]."